A new attendance policy was introduced to students at the start of the second semester and new year. The policy focuses on tackling the issue of “chronic absenteeism,” where students continually miss school or are chronically tardy, and continues to guide the high school back to the expectations it had before Covid. 

Since 2020, attendance has been much more relaxed, with more room for exceptions, absences, tardies, and excuses. However, the administration wants to start getting back to the way things were before 2020, and that means cracking down on the number of absences and tardies students are acquiring. 

Changes to the policy include Saturday school being abolished and replaced with a social suspension, or suspension from all events sponsored by the school, including dances, performances, assemblies, and athletic events. Attendance issues are now being handled by Joshua Shattuck, who also supervises lunch detentions. Students are allotted 10 excused absences per class per semester and one lunch detention for every unexcused absence. 

The policy has been received with a mix of emotions from students. Harrison Cornell 25’ believes the changes aren’t exactly a good thing, but also won’t have much of an effect on students.

“The changes to the attendance policy frankly, aren’t great but are inconsequential. The changes to the policy have issues but in the end, the changes won’t affect a good 99% of students,” Cornell said.

For most, the new changes to the attendance policy won’t change much, but for others, it might mean getting rid of old habits and making new ones.